Operating device for a ventilation system in a vehicle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a control unit for a ventilation arrangement in a vehicle. The control unit is designed to indicate and initiate supply of an air flow to at least three intake air regions in the vehicle, which regions may include a defroster region, a panel region and a floor region. The control unit incorporates a first control device ( 1 ) designed to indicate and initiate a supply of air flow to the three intake air regions by a first intake air distribution which in each control position caters for at most two of the intake air regions. The control unit also incorporates a second control device ( 2 ) designed to indicate and initiate supply of the air flow to the three intake air regions by a second intake air distribution which in each control position caters for at most two of the intake air regions. The result is that the intake air can be distributed variably between the three intake air regions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION, AND STATE OF THE ART

The invention relates to a control unit for a ventilation arrangement ina vehicle whereby the control unit is designed to indicate and initiatea supply of an air flow to at least three intake air regions in thevehicle, which control unit incorporates a first control device designedto indicate and initiate a supply of said air flow to the three intakeair regions by a first intake air distribution which in each controlposition caters to at most two of said intake.

A control unit in a vehicle needs to be designed so that it can beeasily and intuitively read and set to achieve a desired effect. It isalso necessary for its setting to be possible without the vehicle driverhaving to shift his gaze and hence his concentration from surroundingtraffic. Control units for controlling intake air in a vehicle usuallysupply the intake air to three regions, viz. a defroster region, a panelregion and a floor region. A problem which arises in this respect isdesigning a control unit which in a simple and natural manner does atthe same time indicate and symbolize a desired intake air supply tothese three regions.

Known from, for example, GB, B, 2 212 587 is a control unit for aventilation arrangement in a vehicle which incorporates a control devicein the form of a knob which can be set at and between indicatingpositions associated with three intake air regions. This entails thelimitation that a single control device can only be set between twoindicating positions, with the result that intake air can only besupplied to at most two intake air regions simultaneously. Simultaneoussupply of intake air to all three intake regions is thus impossible.Moreover, intake air cannot be supplied simultaneously to two regionswhich do not have adjacent indicating positions.

Another known control unit for supply of intake air to said three intakeair regions in a vehicle uses three separate control devices, one foreach intake air region.

Each of these three control devices is moved individually along itsseparate path. This control unit makes it possible for intake air to besupplied entirely variably to said intake air regions. Disadvantages ofthis control unit are that it occupies a large amount of space on theinstrument panel and that the driver has to shift his gaze fromsurrounding traffic in order to make sure that the correct controldevice is set and what position it is in.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaiddisadvantages of existing control units for a ventilation arrangement ina vehicle that the control unit incorporates a second control devicedesigned to indicate and initiate a supply of an air flow to the threeintake air regions by a second intake air distribution which in eachcontrol position caters to at most two of said intake air regions; i.e.to provide a control unit which in an easy and natural manner indicatesand initiates intake air supply to at least three intake air regions. Itis also desired to provide an intake air system which can encompass allthree intake air regions simultaneously.

This object is achieved by the control unit also incorporating a secondcontrol device designed to indicate and initiate the supply of said airflow to the three inlet regions by a second intake air distributionsystem which in each control position caters to at most two of saidintake air regions. Using two control devices means that they can be setso that intake air can be provided to all three intake regionssimultaneously or, if so desired, to any two out of said three intakeair regions or to only one intake air region. The two control devicesbeing set in two separate positions results in it being appreciatedintuitively that the total intake air distributed is the aggregateindicated setting of said two control devices. If for example one of thecontrol devices is set in a defroster position while the other controldevice is set in a floor position, it is appreciated intuitively thatthe intake air is distributed equally between these two intake airregions.

According to one embodiment of the invention the first and secondcontrol devices are movable along a path which exhibits along its extentindicating positions associated with said intake air regions. Saidindicating positions along the path should substantially symbolize thelocation of the inlet air regions in the vehicle. In other words, thelocations of the intake air regions in the vehicle should in a naturalway reflect the indicating positions along the path, e.g. if the inletair regions are located in a vertical direction or in a lateraldirection of the vehicle, said path may extend in that direction, andthe indicating position of each air intake region may be situated alongthat path according to its actual location in the vehicle.

According to a further and advantageous embodiment of the invention, thefirst and second control devices are movable along a common path. Thismeans that the control unit can be made relatively compact so as not tooccupy an unnecessarily large area of the instrument panel. Said firstand second control devices may also be arranged one after another alongthis path. This enables the control devices to be moved along said pathtogether if, for example, they are to be set in the same indicatingposition such as a defroster position when it is desired that all of theintake air should flow up towards the windscreen.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, said pathtakes the form of a substantially arcuate section. When moving a controldevice along an arcuate path, the driver can, via the controlling hand,detect the curvature of the path or the angle of inclination of thecontrol device, and hence perceive the approximate setting of thecontrol device without removing his gaze from surrounding traffic. It isin this case advantageous if said arcuate section extends substantiallyin a vertical direction of the vehicle so that said intake air regionindicating positions (defroster, panel and floor) can be arranged in avertical direction along said arcuate section.

To facilitate manual operation of the control unit, the first and secondcontrol devices each include a manual gripping part. It is advantageousif said gripping part includes an elongate section extendingsubstantially perpendicular to the extent of the path. It is appropriateif said gripping part also extends out towards the driver so as to beeasy to grip. It is advantageous if said long and narrow section isdesigned so that, depending on its position along the path, it points ina direction perceivable by hand. If the path is non-linear in form, anelongate gripping part which extends at an angle relative to the extentof the path will, depending on the curvature of the path, point in aspecific direction. In the case, for example, of a path which is arcuateand extends in a vertical direction in the vehicle, the direction inwhich said section points can be perceived by its being gripped by hand.If said section points substantially upwards, the control device will bein a defroster position, but if said section points substantiallyhorizontally the control device will be in a panel position, and if saidsection points downwards the control device will be in a floor position.Intermediate positions for each control device can also be perceivedbetween these three intake air region indicating positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An example of a preferred embodiment of the invention is described belowwith reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a control unit according to the invention.

FIG. 1a shows the first control device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1b shows the second control device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows a cable device for transmitting the rotary motion of acontrol device.

FIG. 3 shows a control arrangement and damper for supplying intake airto three intake air regions in a vehicle.

DE

TAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1depicts a control unit for a ventilation arrangement in a vehicle. Thecontrol unit incorporates a first control device 1 and a second controldevice 2 which are designed to indicate and initiate the supply of anair flow to three intake air regions in the vehicle, viz. a defrosterregion, a panel region and a floor region. The first control device 1and the second control device 2 are movable along the path 3 which takesthe form of a substantially arcuate section.

Three indicating positions A, B, C also called main control positionsare marked along the extent of said path 3, each for its respectiveintake air region. These indicating positions A, B, C along the path 3represent the locations of the intake air regions in a verticaldirection of the vehicle so that indicating position A corresponds tointake air to the defroster region, indicating position 3 corresponds tointake air to the panel region and indicating position C corresponds tointake air to the floor region. This enables the driver to understandnaturally and intuitively how to operate the control devices 1, 2 inorder to achieve a desired distribution of intake air to the respectiveregions.

Moving the two control devices 1, 2 to the upper indicating position Awill cause all the air to be directed to the defroster region of thevehicle. Correspondingly, placing the two control devices 1, 2 inindicating position B will cause all the intake air to be supplied tothe panel region, and placing the two control devices 1, 2 in indicatingposition C will cause all the intake air to be supplied to the floorregion. An advantage of having two control devices 1, 2 as compared withhaving only one is that they make it possible to distribute intake airto two non-adjacent indicating regions, thus intake air can be suppliedto the defroster region and the floor region, which is not possible withonly one control device. Such a distribution is achieved by moving thefirst control device 1 to indicating position A and the second controldevice 2 to indicating position C.

The two control devices 1, 2 can also be used to distribute the intakeair to the three intake regions in such a way that the three intake airregions simultaneously receive a certain quantity of intake air. This isachieved by placing the first control device with a first distributionof the intake air between indicating positions A and 3, while at thesame time placing the second control device 2 with a second distributionof the intake air between indicating positions 3 and C. The distributionof the quantities of intake air between the three intake air regions isdetermined by the spacing at which the control devices 1, 2 are placedrelative to the respective indicating positions A-C. If in this case thefirst control device 1 is placed midway between indicating positions Aand B, and the second control device 2 is placed midway betweenindicating positions 3 and C, the air flow will be distributed entirelyequally between the three intake air regions.

To vary the total intake air quantity, the control unit includes a knob4 for adjusting an intake air fan. The knob 4 is arranged to rotateabout a spindle 5 about which the control devices 1, 2 are alsorotatable. The control unit thus assumes a compact form which makes iteasy for the hand to move from the control devices 1, 2 to the knob 4.Adjacent to the control unit there may also be a control device foradjusting the temperature of the intake air supplied.

Each of the first and second control devices 1, 2 exhibits a manualgripping part which incorporates a long and narrow section 6, 7 whichextends substantially perpendicular relative to the extent of thearcuate path 3. This means that the long and narrow sections 6, 7 will,depending on their position along the path, point in a significantdirection outwards from the spindle 5. This enables a driver to use hishand to detect the direction of pointing and hence perceive how theintake air is distributed between the three intake air regions, withouthaving to shift his gaze from surrounding traffic when operating thecontrol unit on the instrument panel.

For the initiating of intake air supply to said three intake air regionsin the vehicle, each of the control devices 1, 2 is firmly arranged onits respective rotatable pulley 8 on which a cable 9 is arranged fortransmitting the rotary motion of the respective control device 1, 2 toa control arrangement which is designed to supply intake air to therespective intake air regions according to the respective setting of thecontrol devices 1, 2. FIG. 3 depicts this control arrangement but onlyshows one cable 9 for transmitting the setting of one control device 1,2 to the control arrangement, although each control device 1, 2incorporates a cable 9 for initiating operation of the controlarrangement. Each cable 9 runs over a pulley 10 in the controlarrangement for rotation of the pulley 10 together with a cam device 11coupled to the pulley. Each of the control devices 1, 2 is thus designedto operate, independently of the other, its cam device 11. The camdevices 11 consist of two parallel identical cam discs which are thuseach rotatable by its cable 9 about a common spindle 12. Each cam device11 incorporates external cam surfaces 13 with a varying cam height fromthe spindle 12. The cam devices 11 are each designed to act upon arms 14A-C (each arranged for its intake air region) in order to vary thesetting of dampers 15 A-C between open and closed positions. Each arm 14A-C incorporates a roller device 16 A-C designed to bear upon and beacted upon by whichever of the two cam surfaces 13 of the two camdevices 11 displays the greater cam height in the region of the rollerdevice 16 A-C. Each arm 14 A-C being flexibly arranged in the cam heightdirection and the roller devices 16 A-C incorporating a steel roller andbeing designed to extend across the two cam devices 11 results in eachroller device 16 A-C being in contact with whichever cam surface 13 ofthe cam devices 1, 2 exhibits the greater cam height n the region of theroller device 16 A-C. The arms 14 A-C incorporate first and second endportions between which the roller devices 16 A-C are arranged. Both endportions of the arms 14 A-C are connected to the dampers 15 A-C in orderto vary the latter's setting. The number of dampers 15 A-C is in thiscase two per intake air region but may be varied depending, for example,on how many points intake air is supplied to in the respective region.The arms 14 A-C are each resiliently urged towards the cam surfaces 13of the cam devices 11 by their respective spring device 17 A-C arrangedbetween each of said arms 14 A-C (in the vicinity of the respectiveroller device 16 A-C) and the cam device's spindle 12. Air is suppliedvia a duct 18 to a damper housing 19 in which the control arrangementdescribed above is arranged.

Each control device 1 and 2 (see FIG. 1) is rotatable for about 120°along the arcuate path 3. This rotary motion is transmitted by the cable9 to the respective cam device 11, which is also rotatable approximately120°. The cam surface 13 of each cam device 11 exhibits three tips 13A-C distributed at mutual spacing of about 120° along the cam surface13. When a roller device 16 A-C is situated on one of these tips 13 A-C,the respective arm 14 A-C is designed to open the respective damper 15A-C to the maximum extent. This takes place when the control devices 1,2 are arranged in one of the indicating positions A, B or C.

When the control arrangement is set as depicted in FIG. 3, roller device16 A is situated on tip 13 A of the cam surface so that damper 15 A isfully open, while roller devices 16 B, C are situated along the camsurface 13 where the cam height is at a minimum, so that dampers 15 B, Care fully closed. If thereafter the control devices 1, 2 are togethermoved from the depicted indicating position A to indicating position B,roller 16 A will follow the cam surface 13 of the cam device 11, the camheight of which will thus progressively decrease, i.e. the distance ofthe cam surface 13 from the cam device's spindle 12 will decrease, whileat the same time arm 14 A progressively closes damper 15 A.

During this process, roller device 16 B will move along the cam surface13 of the cam device 11, the cam height of which will thus progressivelyincrease until the control devices 1, 2 have reached indicating positionB, at which roller device 16 B is situated on cam surface tip 13 B anddamper 15 B is fully open. This position is indicated by chain-dottedlines in FIG. 3. During the movement of control devices 1, 2 betweenindicating positions A and B, roller device 16 C will move along aregion of the cam surface 13 which exhibits a constant minimum camheight so that damper 15 C is closed throughout this process. Continuingjoint movement of the control devices 1, 2 from indicating position B toindicating position C will cause roller device 16 A to move over a camsurface 13 with a constant minimum cam height so that damper 15 A inthis region is fully closed. During that movement of the control devices1,2, roller device 16 B will move from its maximum cam height value 13 Balong a cam surface 13 with a progressively decreasing cam height untilindicating position C, at which damper 15 B is fully closed, is reached.During said movement of the control devices 1,2, roller device 16 C willmove along a cam surface with a progressively increasing cam heightuntil maximum cam height is reached at position 13 C at which damper 15C is fully open.

The intake air control described above achieved by simultaneous movementof the two control devices 1, 2 along a path 3 has the same effect asmoving a single controlling device according to the prior. The fact thatthe present invention incorporates two control devices 1, 2 andrespective cam devices 11 coupled to them means that said control of theintake air flow to said three intake air regions takes place in such away that the intake air can be distributed to all three regionssimultaneously and with the desired distribution. The fact that eachroller device 16 A-C is flexibly arranged in the cam height directionand extends rigidly between the two cam devices 1, 2 means that therespective roller device 16 A-C will be acted upon by cam surfaces 13 ofwhichever of the two cam devices 11 exhibits the greater cam height inthe region of the respective roller device A-C.

If for example the first control device 1 is placed in indicatingposition A while the second control device 2 is placed in indicatingposition C, roller device 16 A will thus be at its maximum cam height onsurface 13 A of the first cam device 11, while roller device 16 C willbe at its maximum cam height on surface 13 C of the second cam device11. The two dampers 16 A, 16 C will therefore be open to the maximumextent. The fact that the two cam devices at indicating positions A andC exhibit their minimum cam height means that roller device 16 B willlead to damper 15 B being fully closed. The air supplied via the duct 18to the damper housing 19 will therefore be distributed equally to theintake air regions with indicating positions A and C, i.e. the defrosterregion and the floor region. Intake air supply to all three intake airregions simultaneously is achieved by the first control device 1 beingplaced in the region between indicating positions A and B while thesecond control device 2 is placed in the region between indicatingpositions B and C. This will cause the air to be distributed to thevarious intake air regions simultaneously, with the distribution to therespective intake air regions being determined by the spacing betweenthe control devices 1, 2 and the respective indicating positions A, B,C. The air is distributed equally to all three intake air regions if thefirst control device 1 is placed exactly between indicating positions Aand B while the second control device 2 is placed exactly betweenindicating positions B and C.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described above butmay be varied within the scope of the patent claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control unit for a ventilation arrangement in amotor vehicle wherein there are at least three intake air regions intothe vehicle to which air flow is to be supplied through operation of thecontrol unit, the control unit comprising: a first control deviceincluding first elements positioned and operable for selectively openingand closing air flow to at most two of the at least three intake airregions at one time; the first control device further including a firstvisible indicator of the position of the first control device whichindicates the extent, which is set by the first control device, to whichthe at most two intake air regions to the vehicle may deliver air to thevehicle; and a second control device including second elementspositioned and operable for selectively opening and closing air flow toat most two of the at least three intake air regions at one time; thesecond control device further including a second visible indicator ofthe position of the second control device which indicates the extent,which is set by the second control device, to which the at most twointake air regions to the vehicle may deliver air to the vehicle.
 2. Thecontrol unit of claim 1, wherein the first and second control devicesare selectively operable so that the at least two air intake regionsopened and closed by the first and second control devices are either thesame intake regions or are different ones of the intake regions.
 3. Thecontrol unit of claim 1, wherein both of the first and second controldevices are movable along respective paths and the respective paths area common path including the indicated positions associated with therespective air intake regions.
 4. The control unit of claim 3, whereinindividual positions are indicated along the common path, each positionbeing respectively associated with one of the intake air regions of thevehicle, and each of the first and second control devices being movablealong the common path to extend to the at most two of the individualpositions associated with the at most two intake air controlled by therespective control device.
 5. The control unit of claim 4, wherein theindividual positions along the path are positioned to substantiallysymbolize the locations in the vehicle of the respective intake airregions in the vehicle corresponding to the individual positions.
 6. Thecontrol unit of claim 4, wherein the first and second control devicesare arranged one after another along the common path.
 7. The controlunit of claim 6, wherein the common path has a substantially arcuatesection shape.
 8. The control unit of claim 7, wherein the first andsecond control devices respectively comprise first and second pivotinglevers, a common pivot for both of the first and second levers and thefirst and second levers are movable around their pivot on the arcuatesection shape path.
 9. The control unit of claim 8, wherein the arcuatesection extends substantially in a vertical direction.
 10. The controlunit of claim 4, wherein the first and second control devicesrespectively include a first and second manually grippable part by whichthe control devices may be moved.
 11. The control unit of claim 10,wherein the grippable part is a relatively long and narrow section whichextends substantially perpendicular to the path of the control devices.12. The control unit of claim 11, wherein the long and narrow section ofeach grippable part is oriented to point toward at least one of theindividual positions then corresponding to the associated ones of theair intake regions controlled by the respective control device and toindicate the extent of opening of the air intake regions controlled bythe respective control device.
 13. The control unit of claim 1, furthercomprising controls connected with the air intake regions forselectively opening and closing the air intake regions, the controls forthe air intake regions being connected with the respective controldevices such that operation of the control devices along the pathscorrespondingly control the air flow through the respective air intakeregions.